Arctic Flyover
by Tiosu
Summary: Some very rare ReixSalima Goodness! Christmas is best spent in the company of loved ones. Salima hates Christmas, and Rei is rundown and depressed. A 20 hour flight might bring some much needed happiness into their lives. Last chapter up shortly!
1. The Night Before Christmas

**Disclaimer:** I do not own beyblade so there.**  
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**The Night Before - Salima**

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The 747 rumbled stoically through the turbulent night skies, it's navigation lights pulsing to a preset rhythm that contradicted the churning chaos of the storm. 20,000 feet beneath the beat up jet seethed the angry Northern Pacific, whipped into a malicious winter maelstrom by a frigid arctic assault. The jetliner had left Singapore four hours ago, en-route to New York; a 20 hour marathon flight that ranged over the Philippines, past the Japanese Islands and over the arctic wastelands of the North Pole and the Canadian hinterlands. It was a grueling undertaking, and (allowing for brief moments of sheer terror caused by wind sheer and exceptionally strong and unexpected turbulence) a very, very boring one…

The jetliner's passenger cabins were barely a third occupied. Nobody wanted to spend Christmas cooped up in an airplane with politely indifferent strangers. With the exception of one.

At the very rear of the aircraft a young teen lay sprawled contently across four centre seats, enjoying the privacy and comfort of the deserted cabin. Everyone else had been upgraded into first and business class, or seated in the upper cabin of the great jet, a move intended to make the life of the airplanes crew easier. This seasoned traveler had politely refused the upgrade and insisted on being allocated her designated 'seat'. The flight crew were in no mood to object; There was no real reason that she couldn't have half the jet to herself… And so Salima had gotten her wish.

Cruising shakily over the frigid far reaches of the pacific, hidden behind rows upon rows of abandoned seats, and generously supplied with blankets, pillows and complimentary peanuts besides her own ipod and a novel as thick as a bible, Salima had gotten as comfortable as she could. Which in her case, was not especially.

Salima disliked Christmas- No. She _loathed_ it. The past few Christmases had gone something like so…

_The original Christmas Disaster_. Five years prior. Salima's parents had split in a violent row that ensured a lengthy custody battle for herself and her younger brother.

_Christmas Catastrophe, the sequel_. Three years and a few hours ago to the minute. After two months of trying to be diplomatic about the nasty state of affairs that existed between Mum and Dad, Salima and her younger sibling spent the holidays with their father.

Dearest mother didn't take to well to this, insult. As a result (and a drawn out custody battle), _Christmas disaster take III _was spent with 'that litigious bitch' … in her cold, drafty and rundown flat If there was one good thing to eventuate from this debacle, it was the present her father sent to her the following January when she was back at her boarding school- her first competition style beyblade and launcher.

_Christmas four_ was the worst. By now Salima's talent with the blade had landed her a scholarship with a prestigious academy based in Tokyo, Japan. She had stayed there over the Christmas, largely devoid of any contact with friends of family.

Lonely was an understatement.

That 'holiday' was a positively miserable experience.

_The fifth crap-fest_ (as the emerging cynic had come to affectionately dub the festivities) had actually showed promise of redeeming the lastfour performances. Salima, Kane, Goki and Jim of the newly formed team Psykick were going to spend the holiday together in the Swiss alps… A brilliant idea! Let down by misdirected luggage and a delay that left the four stranded in Bombay, India for nearly 30 hours.

And so the four spent that Christmas together in the crappiest International Airport known to man- And to add insult to injury, Salima's daypack was stolen.

The verdict: 'Crap, but hey, I'm getting used to this sort of thing'

But Christmas six would be different. The grinch in Salima was going to make sure of it.

Trussed up in a black Hoodie, shielded by warm blankets, soothed by cups of hot tea (and racing through the atmosphere in a metal tube at 500 mile per hour), Salima had indeed put together a formidable sanctuary in preparation for her nemesis. The time was 23:54, Christmas Eve. The young red-head assumed her premeditated combat stance; Lying down, eyes closed, blankets and pillows at the ready. Donning the hood on her jacket she narrowed her eyes at the laurel wreath that hung mocking at the far end of the soulless cabin.

_Let's get this over with._

Salima was going to sleep this one out.

The 747 hurtled through the turbulent murk, set on it's destination.

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That's chapter one. Modifed slightly to make more sense and be more gramatically accurate.

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	2. Out of the Gloom

**Out of the Gloom - Rei**

_  
Define dedication…_

_I'm spending Christmas flying over the north pole with a bunch of snobby businessmen for company, en-route to an exhibition blading tournament in New York._

Rei slumped into a pretentious first class leather armchair. Despite it's ultra-comfortable charms, it failed to relax him. The young blader was restless. His mind was moving faster then the 747 he had boarded. It wasn't a good sign. Rei Kon was meant to be sound asleep, catching up on some precious rest before the next leg of his travels as a BBA ambassador. He was not meant to be wide awake and feeling uncertain about the whole business of sport promotion, or the rather lonely couple of months he'd gotten himself into.

Sighing for the hundredth time, Rei shifted uncomfortably in his chair. It didn't help. He fiddled with the entertainment console on his seat's armrest. It didn't help much either.

Nothing seemed right.

Not least the fact that he was going to be on the other side of the world for Christmas and all by himself...

The past few days had been hectic. Routine meet, greet and demonstrate in Taipei. A technology exhibition in Hong Kong. The Magna- stadium grand opening in Singapore… and now a festive New York beckoned. He had briefly been reunited with the original bladebreakers in Singapore, but otherwise-

_There'll be no contact with friends or family this Christmas. _

_You're on your own._

_And you're in a foreign land- a different nation for each day of the week..._

Rei had had enough. If he didn't clear his head and get some sleep he'd be in no shape to show his skills in the monumental New York Battle Dome. Perhaps a walk around the aisles might sooth him and give him a chance to stretch his legs and clear his head. Vacating his seat, the raven haired blader stepped gingerly out into the aisle, ready to take his chances with the unpredictable turbulence if need be. The seatbelt sign was off, a rather rare state of affairs considering the malicious storm that writhed beyond the cabin's portholes.

A few steps took him to the rear of the first-class cabin. A smitten attendant beamed at him. He wasn't really in the mood to return the favor, but courteously smiled and bowed his head slightly in reply (after all, Rei was an ambassador).

His entry into the business class cabin went unnoticed.

_At least I'm not alone..._

There was no talking, no communication. Just indifferent, introspective silence and an unrelenting aura of loneliness. Sure, these people had families. They had friends too. But where were they? Seated alone, or beside a complete stranger, the zombie like passengers stared blankly into flickering, uninspiring video screens imbedded into the seat before them. They slept, dreaming of better times long past. Of loved ones they would not see. They slept, dreaming of things they did or did not do, for better or worse.

_Probably worse_ thought Rei.

It was a sobering, and cold place, there in the dimly lit steel tube. The ill growl of the over-driven jet engines struggling against an arctic headwind resonated through the dry and stale air. It was surreal, in the darkest sense.

You could almost reach out and touch the broken dreams.

Rei was overcome by sadness.

He had to get out there.

_I don't belong here_

Rei felt like he was drowning. Panic gripped him, momentarily- He had to get out of there-

It was the captain's obligatory greetings over the plane's intercom ushered the tormented youngster back to a more sobering reality.

_This is your captain speaking. On behalf of all the crew aboard Cathay Pacific flight 122, I'd like to wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays. I regret to inform you that our arrival at JFK international will be delayed by approximately one hour due to the rough weather and a prevailing headwind. The seatbelt sign has been turned off, but I would advise that anybody seated should keep their seatbelt fastened for reasons of personal safety. Thank you, and Merry Christmas._

A tired, golden eye caught one of the aircraft's numerous self adjusting digital clocks. It read 0001:02 / 12 / 25 / 05.

Christmas Day.

"_Some Christmas this'll be_" Rei thought, utterly depressed ... _And this place gives me the creeps_

There was nothing left to do but leave the business class cabin and it's loveless occupants to their fate. His exit couldn't have been quicker.

The stark emptiness of the sparsely lit economy class cabins were eerie, but strangely comforting. Here, distractions were minimized; There were no sad faces to contemplate, no air hostesses prowling the aisles with tea or coffee, and no rude staring from fellow passengers (or smelly people to sit near). Rei's mood lightened ever so slightly as a realization dawned upon him.

Solitude.

That was what he needed. Surrounded by innumerable strangers for days on end had taken it's toll on the usually energetic blader's spirit. Perhaps it was time to take a leaf out of Kai's book?

Rei's mind was quickly made up. If he wasn't going to spend this Christmas in the company of family and friends, he'd rather spend it in peace and quiet, on his own, and not in the company of downtrodden suits and outcast wayfarers. Rei's slow shuffle down the shadowy aisles of misery express became more purposeful. Rows of abandoned seats were left in his wake as he made his way to the rear of the aircraft, his cat like reflexes keeping him well balanced in the face of the shakes and shudders that teased the jet.

It was cool and safe at the aft most section of the plane. The darkness was a comforting blanket. And the lack of Christmas decorations (bar a hastily mounted laurel wreath above the cordoning curtains) was a welcome relief. Rei was about to claim a row of seats for himself when he became aware of someone's presence.

His powerful senses instinctively focused upon the source of this person- a rouge, barely visible light blue light that occasionally wavered contrary to the static corridor. Concentrating hard, the highly attuned teen followed the light blue luminescence. It was coming from the very last row of seats on the airplane. It moved lazily for about ten seconds, then came to rest, pointing directly to the ceiling.

Rei was hypnotized. Something inside him was telling him to follow that light, to never look away...

The plane shook violently. His balance momentarily offset, Rei was sent hurtling to the floor. His cat like instincts saved him, just- with a violent but masterfully precise grab, the seasoned blader grabbing hold of an arm-rest, and thus saving himself from a very nasty fall...

...Salima had been scanning through her ipod, deciding upon what tracks would best oppose Christmas carols when the plane lunged downwards and shook violently. Sitting bolt upright in surprise, her headphones slipped from her ears, and slid down her long, smooth red hair. The cold air that assaulted her beat numbed ears was excruciating. The shock of the turbulence knocked the wind out of her. But what happened next terrified her.

Without warning, a shadowy figure materialized an arms-reach in front of her.

Salima let out a rare scream of pure terror... which morphed into one of complete surprise... which finished on a simultaneously angry, confused, elated and disorganized,

"_R-Rei? Is that you? What are you doing here? Are you ok? Christ!_"

The corridor guide lights flickered. It was Rei's turn to react to shock and amazement.

"_Salima Wh-What on earth?_"

"_Damn!_"

The turbulence intensified. In danger of being thrown on his back, Rei staggered forwards, grabbing hold of a head rest for support. The seatbelt light came on with a resounding ding! Still in a daze, ambassador Kon swung himself about the headrest, and came to land gracefully on one of the seats that Salima had claimed. Seconds of silent bewilderment followed. Settling nervously into his newly assigned seat, Rei turned to face the last person he'd thought he'd ever see on his travels. Salima was sitting on her knees, her hands firmly gripping an armrest to counter the violent shaking of the besieged jet. Her mouth was slightly agape, frozen for words. As the unwelcome vibrations subsided, and the defiant roar of the engines kicked back in, the two long separated friends were reunited.

Two faces erupted into smiles of genuine happiness, tinged with surprise and bewilderment.

_Rei_. Said Salima. Cordially and very matter of fact-ly.

_Salima. _Rei's reply was curt and to the point.

Neither teen could hold it in any longer. Their smiles broke into unrestrained grins.

Laughter shook the rear cabin, breaking the darkness with sonic light that exploded into a bone crushing embrace, which a certain overjoyed red-head initiated by nearly ripping the armrest from it's mountings and throwing herself at the responding nekojin, who caught her arms and guided her into his chest; Destination, a new kind of warmth that re-spirited the two youngsters in a way they'd never experienced before.

For a few seconds, nothing else mattered.

Loneliness melted away to be replaced by a re-fired friendship that burned hotter then the solar core.

_So. Rei. How've you been? _Asked Salima, reluctantly disengaging from their revitalizing embrace.

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Can't complain... _He grinned.

Christmas was looking up.

_Ha! Chapter done! I apologize for any discrepancies in time zones, let's assume they don't exist for now while I do a little research. Chapter three will be put it up when I'm good and ready- and any encouragement would be appreciated:) _


	3. Humana

**The Humana**

The turbulence subsided. Coming back to rest on a solid horizontal track, the jetliner proceeded on it's way. Rei patted down his clothes and eased himself into one of Salima's seats, grinning ear to ear. His new found travel buddy relocated herself, taking up the seat next to him, her eyes lit up and a smile now firmly established across her face. All the armrests with the exception of those directly adjacent to the aisles were locked in their upright position. Thus, when the two buckled their seatbelts, they were strapping themselves into a couch, a roomy and relaxing place of rest ideal for what both knew would be a long conversation.

They hadn't seen one another face to face for nearly a year.

But there was much to talk about.

The conversation began in earnest.

- - -

_What have you been doing?_

_What about your teammates? _

_How's your blading skills coming along?_

_Any new techniques?_

_Why is airline food so plastic-y? _

_And this is how I managed to get a 1/16 input jack so I could hook up a decent pair of closed headphones to my ipod…_

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Sitting there in the dark and jittery aft cabin, the two talked about everything and anything, delighting in the presence of a friendly, like-minded and trusting person. Christmas was left out of the equation, neither really seeing the need to drag up the blatantly obvious. Salima was thankful and Rei, well he couldn't really bring himself to care about it.

0401 hours. Christmas Day.

Salima was sleepy. Rei was exhausted.

Perhaps it was fatigue that set in motion the events that transpired off of a single question.

Regardless, what Salima asked, absent mindedly, would change the course of everything.

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_How long has it been, Rei?_

_Nearly a year I think…_

… _Wow…_

_What?_

_It feels like it was only yesterday that we were saying goodbye. I can remember it all so clearly._

_I know what you mean…It was pretty warped, huh?_

Salima new what the bladebreaker was referring too. The suddenly subdued tone in his voice and the flicker of pain in his golden eyes spelt it out all to clearly. Her smile faded as she remembered the events that transpired in battle tower.

_Yeah… But at least we came out with only cuts and bruises to show for it. No lasting harm, right?_

_None, thanks to you._

_Salima. It was nothing-_

_Please, Rei. I won't ever forget what you did for me. _

Silence.

_What can I say? ... I've really missed you, Rei._

Reduced to near whispering, she continued.

_And I'm so glad to see you again..._

_- - - _

Salima felt tears welling up in her eyes, a liquid emotional dichotomy of both happiness and sadness, joined by the pain of not knowing.

She had missed him. She missed his sincerity, honesty and sense of honor. Their mutual understanding of one another was a rare thing, and Salima missed the conversations that they'd shared (however brief they were) on everything from blading and traveling to life and technology. And of course she missed _him_, the person inside, that wonderful, genuinely caring and strong willed being. She had missed him more then anything. And she thought of him often, fondly and with a rare affection even for herself; an exceptionally empathetic and caring person.

But it didn't stop there.

Rei had saved her life.

And she would never forget that.

He hadn't given up on the person that had been overwhelmed and near utterly corrupted by a malicious mind-bending power. He'd battled for her soul, and he had won. There was no ulterior motive. Rei made it perfectly clear that he did it because he cared for her as a friend, as someone who he couldn't let down, ever.

- - -

Rei was dumbstruck.

- - -

He couldn't think of a reply, and seeing his formerly lost friend fighting back tears only added to his confusion.

_I ..._

Some repressed instinct overcame him.

Placing a warm hand on her shoulder, he gently guided the quietly sobbing girl into his chest. Startled momentarily, but quickly overcome by the warmth and safety of Rei's gesture, she let herself melt into her companion's side. Rei shifted his body around sideways. Salima undid her seatbelt and guided by a gentle push from the raven haired blader came to rest lying down across his chest. The warmth, comfort and sanctuary offered seemed so right. It meant more then words ever could.

_...I missed you too, Salima._

Her eyes were closed and her body relaxed like an ocean beneath a warm summer sky. Her relpy was a barely audible murmer of acknowledgement.

_But we're together now, huh?_

_  
...Yeah_

- - -

He had missed her. Rei had never known somebody who was so honest and open, and true to herself. They understood one another, thinking along similar paths, with the same goals in mind. Traveling a nightmarish schedule with minimal contact from friendly, familiar faces had made him think of her. It was strange. Of all the people that meant something to him, he often found himself thinking of her, a rival he had met under sadly ill fated circumstances, and only for a very brief period.

She had left a lasting impression on him.

She had touched his heart.

He simply did not know, or wish to admit it.

At least up till now.

- - -

Holding her strongly but gently to himself there, in that storm battered jet, the tired blader felt something wonderful stirring in the depths of his soul. He couldn't put his finger to it. But it felt wonderful. A transfer of warmth, both physical and metaphysical. The beating of her heart and the rhythmical rise and fall of her chest, synchronized with his own.

Suddenly, nothing else mattered.

The destination was of no importance.

All his fear, pain and sorrow simply melted away.

Rei felt his eyelids succumb to the sleep he so craved.

Carefully he swung his legs up onto the seats, and proceeded to lie down. Bracing a pillow against the arm-rest of his chair, he carefully guided Salima's now sleeping frame against his own. Her head came to rest just under his chin. The girl stirred momentarily, adjusting to her new surroundings. They were comfortable beyond measure. Smiling, she let herself slip into a sleep that could have never ended for all she cared. Rei followed suit.

- - -

Biting through thousands of litres of frigid arctic stratosphere, the four turbofans blasted the 747 higher and higher and into the upper reaches of the voracious gale that was hell-bent on ripping apart anything that might challenge it's domain. Higher, higher. Up where the dark grey and violent storm clouds thinned, then dispersed into nothingness…

Like a gigantic bullet, the jetliner burst through the storm's top-cover and into the calm, winter night. Thousands of stars exploded into the sky, brighter and stiller then you could imagine. And the aurora. Ribbons of brilliant dark red light danced, weaved and careened across the heavens in an other-worldly display of living light.

- - -

That was a hard chapter to write. It's taken a while to figure out how this story will reach it's inevitable conclusion, and it might not sit so neatly with the first two chapters, so they may be changed later. That said, once Christmas is over this story isn't going to be especially important, at least till next year. Final chapter up tomorrow in time for Xmas! Or you can kick me in the shins! Tiosu.


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